Chapter one
Introduction: The topic of this article: the humility and incarnation of the Word. Teaching about creation through the word. The Father accomplished the salvation of the world through Him by whom He first created it (the Word).
1 - We contented ourselves with what we explained in our previous research, although it is only a few, by explaining the error of nations in worshiping idols and their superstitions, and how these idols were human inventions from the beginning. How was the evil of humans the motivation for their innovation of idol worship? Now that we have mentioned a little about some things about the divinity of the Word of the Father(1) And His management of all things and His authority, and how the good Father controls all things by the word(2) And everything lives and moves through Him and in Him(3)Come - O blessed one - you who truly love Christ, let us follow the true faith and talk about everything related to the incarnation of the Word and explain everything related to his divine appearance among us.(4)That which the Jews mock and the Greeks mock(5)As for us, we prostrate to him despite his apparent weakness, so that you may be strengthened and increase your piety through him (i.e., through the word).
2 - The more the mockery increases(6) Than unbelievers, by the Word, He is given a greater testimony of His divinity. Whatever humans think is impossible, God proves to be possible(7)And everything that people mock, as something inappropriate(8)This makes him fit and proper. And everything they mock - while they claim to be wise - as human works, all of this he shows with his power that they are divine works.(9). Thus, on the one hand, through the cross - which is thought to be weakness - it destroys all the errors of idolatry(10)On the other hand, he secretly convinces those who mock and disbelieve, so that they realize his divinity and authority.
3- In order to clarify these matters, it is necessary to recall to memory everything that was previously said (in the article against the pagans) so that you can understand the reason for the appearance of the Word of the Father.(11)All greatness and exaltation, in the flesh, and so that you do not think that our Savior was in need by nature(12) To wear a body. Rather, because He is without a body by nature, and because He is the Word, because of the goodness of His Father and His love for humanity, He appeared to us in a human body for our salvation.(13).
4- Now that we explain this matter, it is appropriate for us to begin first by talking about the creation of the entire universe and about God, its Creator.(14)Thus, one can realize that the renewal of creation was accomplished by the Word, who is the Creator of creation in the beginning. Thus it becomes clear that there is no contradiction in the Father accomplishing the salvation of the world through the Word by which the world was created(15).
Chapter II
Refuting some wrong opinions about creation: (1) (Epicurean doctrine), which says that creation occurred by chance. But the multiplicity of bodies and parts requires the presence of a creative force. (2) (Platonists’ doctrine) which holds that matter existed before. This subjects God to human limits and makes him not a creator but a mechanical maker. (3) (Gnostic doctrine)(16) He believes that there is another Creator, and this is denounced by the Bible.
1- Many have understood the subject of the creation of the universe and all existing things in different ways, and each of them expressed his opinion as he pleased. Some of them said that all things came into being by themselves and by mere chance, like the Epicureans(17)By relying on myths, they assert that there is no divine plan for all things, and in doing so they contradict what is absolutely clear.
2- If all things had existed by themselves and without management, according to their belief, this would have meant that these things had existed in simplicity and similarity and without differences between them, and therefore all things would have to represent one body, sun or moon. In the case of humans, the entire body had to be an eye, a hand, or a leg. But the reality is different, so we see the sun as one thing, the moon as another thing, and the earth as a different thing. In human bodies, we see the leg as something, the hand as something else, and the head as something different. This arrangement then confirms to us that these things did not exist by themselves, but rather indicates that there was a cause preceding them. From this arrangement we can recognize God who created and managed all things(18).
3- Others also include, for example, the great Greek Plato(19)They taught that God created the universe from previously existing, uncreated matter(20)It is as if God was not able to make anything unless the material actually existed, like a carpenter - for example - who must have wood available in order for him to be able to work... But they do not realize that by saying this they are attributing weakness to God. Because if he is not the cause of the existence of matter, but rather creates existing things from previously existing matter, then this means that he is weak, as long as he is not able to make any of the created things without (the availability of) matter. Just like the carpenter, he is considered weak because he cannot make anything of his needs without the availability of wood.
4- According to this assumption, God could not have made anything (at all) if matter had not previously existed. How can he be called innocent and creator, if he derived his ability to create from another source, and by that I mean from matter?(21)
If the matter were like this, then God, according to their thinking, would be merely a technical worker who creates the matter that exists with him without being the cause of its existence and not being the creator of things from nothing. God cannot be called a creator at all, unless He created the same matter from which creatures were created.
5- There are heretics(22) They also imagine for themselves another Creator of all things other than the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in this they demonstrate the utmost blindness. Because the Lord used to say to the Jews, “Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and son, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’” And after that, he said, referring to the Creator, “For what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”(23) How do these people claim that creation is alien to the Father? Or when John says very briefly that “all things were made by him, and without him nothing was made that was made.”(24) How could there be another Creator other than God, the Father of Christ?
Chapter III
Sound doctrine. The creation of beings out of nothing due to God’s excessive goodness and generosity. Man's creation is higher than all other beings, but without the ability to continue living without God. The sublime and excellent gift given to him to be in the image and likeness of God, with the promise of happiness on the condition that he retain the grace.
1- These are their legends(25). As for divine teaching and faith in Christ, they show these myths as blasphemy. Beings did not exist on their own because there was a prior plan for their existence. Nor was it created from pre-existing matter, because God is not weak. But God created everything by the word out of nothing and without pre-existing matter, as Moses says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”(26)And also in the very useful book “The Shepherd”.(27) “Above all, believe in the one God who created and arranged all beings and brought them from nothingness into existence.”(28).
2- This is what Paul refers to, saying: “By faith we realize that the worlds were created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made of what is apparent.”(29).
3- God is good, but rather He is the source of goodness. The righteous cannot be stingy with anything(30) He does not even envy anyone's existence(31). Therefore, He created all things from nothing with His word, Jesus Christ our Lord, and in a special way He had compassion for the human race(32). Because he saw the inability of man to always remain in the state in which he was created, he gave him an additional blessing. He not only created humans like the rest of the irrational creatures on earth, but rather created them in his own image.(33) He gave them fellowship in the power of His word(34) So that they can somehow, and have some shadow of (the Word) and become rational(35)To remain happy and live the true life, the life of the saints in Paradise(36).
4- But he also knew that the will of humans could tend toward one of two directions (good or evil).(37) He previously secured the grace given to them by will and place, and brought them into His paradise(38) He gave them a commandment so that if they preserved the blessing and continued to be righteous, they would live in Paradise without sorrow, pain, or worry.(39), in addition to the promise of eternity in heaven. But if they transgress the commandment and turn away from goodness and become evil, let them know that they will bring death upon themselves according to their nature, and will no longer live in Paradise, but will die outside of it and remain forever in corruption and death.(40).
5- This is what the Holy Bible warned us about with the mouth of God, saying: “Of every tree of Paradise you may freely eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you must not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”(41). “And you will surely die” does not mean merely dying only, but rather remaining in the corruption of death forever.
the fourth chapter
Introduction to Chapters Four and Five. Our creation and the divine incarnation are closely connected to each other. Just as by the word of God man was created from nothingness into existence and then received the blessing of divine life, likewise by one sin man lost that life, brought upon himself corruption, and the world was filled with sin and misery.
1- You may be wondering, why, while we meant to talk about the incarnation of the Word, are we now talking about the beginning of the creation of humanity?(42) But know that this hadith also relates to the purpose of this article.
2- Because it is necessary, when we talk about the appearance of the Savior among us, to talk about the beginning of the creation of humans, and so that you know that his descent to us was because of us, and that our transgression called for the compassion of the Word, so that the Lord would come quickly to our aid, and appear among humans.
3- For our cause, he was incarnated in order to save us, and because of his love for humanity, he accepted being manned and appeared in a human body.(43).
4- Thus, God created man and intended for him to remain incorruptible(44). As for humans(45) Since they despised thinking about God and rejected Him, they thought of evil and created it for themselves, as we mentioned first(46)They were sentenced to death, which they had previously been warned of, and since then they have not remained as they were created(47)Rather, their ideas(48) It led them to corruption and kingship(49) They have to die. Because transgression of the commandment returned them to their natural state, so that just as they came into being from nothing, so they also necessarily perish with the passage of time.(50).
5- If, while they were in the natural state - the state of non-existence, they were called into existence by the power of the Word and His compassion, it was natural for them to return to what does not exist (i.e. nothingness), when they lost all knowledge of God.(51). Because everything that is evil is nothingness, and everything that is good exists(52). Because they obtained their existence from God, they had to be forever deprived of existence. This means their dissolution and their continued existence in death and corruption (annihilation).
6- Man is mortal by nature because he was created from nothing, but because he was created in the image of the existing God(53) It would have been possible for him to resist the force of natural annihilation and remain in imperishability if he had kept God in his knowledge, as the wisdom says: “Keeping the laws ensures non-perishability.”(54)And, by existing in a state of incorruption (immortality), it was possible for him to live from then on as God(55) The Bible also indicates this when it says, “I said, ‘You are gods.’” And build up the Most High, all of you; but you will die like men and fall like one of the princes.”(56).
Chapter V(57)
1 - God was not satisfied with creating us from nothing, but He also granted us, through the grace of the Word, the ability to live according to God. However, humans turned their faces away from eternal matters, and with the advice of Satan, they turned to acts of natural corruption, and they themselves became the cause of the corruption that happened to them through death. Because they were - as I mentioned before - by nature corrupt, but by the grace of their participation in the Word, they could have escaped natural corruption if they had remained good.
2- Because the Word dwelt in them, their natural corruption did not affect them, as the Book of Wisdom says: “God created man incorruptible and made him in the image of his eternity, but through the envy of the devil death entered the world.”(58) After this happened, people began to die, on the one hand, and on the other hand, and from that time onwards, corruption began to prevail over them. Rather, it began to have a dominion over all humans that was stronger than its natural dominion, and that was because it happened as a result of disobeying the commandment that he warned them not to disobey.
3- Human beings did not stop at a certain limit in their sins, but rather they went so far in evil that little by little they exceeded all limits, and they began to invent evil until they brought upon themselves death and corruption. Then they delved into injustice and transgression and did not stop at one evil, but rather every evil led them to a new evil until They became voracious in doing evil(59) (They are not satisfied with doing evil.)
4- Adultery and theft spread everywhere, and the entire earth was filled with murder and plunder. They did not respect the sanctity of any law, but rather they behaved in corruption and injustice, and even began to practice evil of all kinds(60) Individuals and groups. Wars broke out between the cities, and nations rose against nations, and the entire inhabited world was torn apart by revolutions and wars, and each one began to compete with the other in evil deeds.(61).
5 - Also, they were not far from sins that are against nature, as the Apostle and witness of Christ said, “For their females changed the natural use for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the males also, leaving the natural use of the female, burned in their lust for one another, males with males committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”(62).
Chapter six
The human race was on its way to extinction, and the image of God within it was on the verge of decline and disappearance. Therefore, God had one of two things before Him: Either He should give up His word, which man had transgressed and thus brought upon himself ruin; Or that the person who had fellowship in the Word would perish. In this case, God's purpose fails. So what? Can this bear the goodness of God? If so, why was man created? If this had happened, it would indicate God's weakness, not his goodness. [This chapter, any reading of it abstractly from the rest of Saint Athanasius’ teaching, leads to a wrong understanding of the saint’s teaching in particular and Orthodox theology in general. In the seventh chapter, and in other chapters, the saint will continue his teaching on the subject of God’s abandonment of His word, saying: “Repentance cannot prevent the execution of the judgment.” Nor can she Human nature is healed The fallen one. We have brought corruption upon ourselves and need to be restored to grace conforming to the image of God“. The problem is not God's problem, but rather man's problem. The misunderstanding of many made them believe that the incarnation was a solution to a problem that God encountered - God forbid - when man fell... This is explained in 7:4: “If man’s transgression were merely a sinful act and not followed by corruption, then repentance would be sufficient.” (the network)]
1- For this reason, death prevailed more and corruption spread among humans, and thus the human race(63) Walking towards destruction, on the one hand, and on the other hand, rational man, created in the image of God, was fading away, and God's creation was disintegrating.
2- Because death also, as I said before(64)He had legal dominion over us (because of the transgression), from that time on, and it was impossible to evade the rule of the law, because God was the one who instituted it because of the transgression. If this had happened, the result would have become truly terrifying and inappropriate at the same time.
3- Because (first), it is of course inappropriate that God, after he spoke something once, later turns out to be a liar, meaning that God, after commanding that man die, transgress the commandment and not die, but rather the word of God becomes invalid. God would be untruthful if man did not die after God said he would.
4 - Secondly, it would have been inappropriate for the creation to perish and return to nothingness through corruption, a creation that was created rational and had fellowship in the Word.(65).
5 - Also because it would be unworthy of God’s goodness for His creation to perish because of Satan’s temptation of humans.
6 - On the other hand, it would have been completely inappropriate for God's work to disappear(66) In the hands of humans, either because of their negligence or because of the temptation of demons.
7 - As long as corruption affected rational creation, and God’s work was on its way to annihilation, what should the good God have done? Does he let corruption control people, and death reign over them? What then is the benefit of those who created them from the beginning? Because it would have been better for them not to be created at all than for them to be created and then neglected and destroyed.
8 - If God had neglected and not cared about the destruction of His work, this negligence would have shown His weakness, not His goodness. If God created man and then neglected him, this would be more weak than if he had not created him at all.
9 - Because if man had not been created, no one would have dared accuse him of weakness. However, after He created Him and brought Him from nothingness into existence, it would have become completely inappropriate for creatures to perish before the eyes of the Creator.
10 - Therefore, humans should not be left to be led into corruption because this is considered an inappropriate act and contrary to the goodness of God.
(1) 1 The Word of the Father is not like the Word of humans because the Father controls all things through the Word, for He is the Creator. See also chapter 3/3, 17/1, 42/4-6, against the pagans 41/1.
(2) 2 See Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans 35/1.
(3) 3 Acts 17:28, see also chapter 31/3.
(4) 4 He means incarnation, as the expression of his divine appearance is synonymous with the term incarnation.
(5) 5 See 1 Corinthians 1:23.
(6) 6 The non-believers’ mockery of the Word was clearly evident in their words about the death of the Son by the cross. See Chapters 21-25.
(7) 1 See Matthew 19:26.
(8) 2 See Chapter 7/2.
(9) 3 See Chapters 18, 21.
(10) 4 See Chapter 47. See also Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans 1.
(11) 5 Against the Gentiles 41/2.
(12) 6 See Saint Athanasius. The third article against the Arians, paragraph 57.
(13) 7 for our salvation”di¦ t»n ¹mîn swthr…anThis phrase was also mentioned in the Code of Faith approved by the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 AD. Saint Athanasius often repeats this expression in this article. See Chapters 4/3, 32/6, 52/1.
(14) 8 Saint Athanasius will speak about this matter in detail in Chapters 6-8.
(15) 1 This sentence, with which Saint Athanasius concludes the first chapter, represents his basic teaching about salvation, and he repeats it constantly in this book.
(16) 1 They were the proponents of the “knowledge” doctrine, who also believed that salvation came through knowledge.
(17) 2 They are followers of Epicurus, the pagan philosopher who was born in 341 and died in 270 BC. Saint Athanasius responds to the ideas of the Epicureans - without mentioning their names - in his defense of the Code of Faith of the Council of Nicaea. Chapter 19 and also in his book on the Councils of Armenia and Silvia. Paragraph 35.
(18) 1 See Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans. Chapters 28, 35, 37.
(19) 2 See Plato: (429-347 BC) T…maioj 2ge Saint Athanasius refers to Plato, who was proud of his knowledge of God, but his faith was not in God the Creator, and thus he did not worship the living God, but rather the goddess Artemis, as one of the gods invented by humans. See: against the pagans. Chapter 10/4.
(20) 3 See Saint Athanasius Against the Arians, the second article. Chapter 22.
(21) 4 See Saint Athanasius. Defending the Creed of the Council of Nicaea. Chapter 11.
(22) 1 means the Gnostics, especially Marcion. See also Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans. Chapter 6, where he refutes Marcion's teachings.
(23) 2 Matthew 4:19-6 Saint Athanasius may have used this verse to respond to another erroneous thought of Marcion’s followers, as they called for the prohibition of marriage.
(24) 3 John 1:3 This verse was used by Saint Irenaeus to also respond to the teachings of Marcion (see Against Heresies 2/2, 4). Because Marcion taught that the good God created the invisible things and the third heaven, and the God of the Old Testament created the visible things. Here Saint Athanasius responds that God created everything through Christ.
(25) 1 Saint Athanasius means the false teachings that humans invent about God, and in return there is divine inspired teaching. See the second article against the Arians. Paragraph 43, where Saint Athanasius mentions some of these heresies.
(26) 2 Genesis 1:1.
(27) 3 Saint Athanasius repeats his opinion about the usefulness of this book in the Easter Epistle. No. 39.
(28) 4 The Book of the Shepherd, written by Hermas 1/1.
(29) 5 Hebrews 3:11.
(30) 1 Saint Athanasius mentioned this expression in the previous article (Against the Pagans), chapter 41, and more clearly: “And the righteous cannot envy (anyone) anything, and for this reason he cannot envy anyone even the existence, but rather he is pleased for everyone to exist so that he can show They have His love for humanity.”
(31) 2 responds to what Plato said in tˆmaioj See also Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans. Chapter 41.
(32) 3 See Chapter 11/1.
(33) 4 Genesis 1:26-27 See also Saint Athanasius: Against the Gentiles. Chapter 34/3.
(34) 5 See Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans. Chapter 2/2.
(35) 6 The link between the fact that a person has a share in the power of the word and his being rational and wise has been an Alexandrian teaching since the time of Philo, and Saint Athanasius explains this matter in the second article against the Arians. Paragraphs 78-81
(36) 7 See: Against the Pagans 2/4 Saint Athanasius mentions the joy of paradise life in several places in his writings. It is worth noting that he believes that man is in the rank of angels and that Paradise is the abode of the saints. He often linked Paradise with monasteries, describing them as divine dwelling places. See: The Epistle. Easter 29, Life of Anthony 44, Epistle to the Monks.
(37) 1 See the first article against the Arians. Paragraph 52, where he distinguishes between the unchanging Word of God and humans with a changeable nature. See also the third article against the Arians. Paragraph 62, 66.
(38) 2 In the article Against the Pagans 2/4, Saint Athanasius expresses in a symbolic way the place where Adam lived, saying: “...in the place where he was, which Saint Moses symbolically called Paradise.”
(39) 3 See Against the Pagans 41/3.
(40) 4 See Against the Pagans 3/3-4.
(41) 5 Genesis 2:16-17.
(42) 1 See Chapter 20, in which Saint Athanasius explains the aim of the article.
(43) 2 See Chapter 43.
(44) 3 This is a basic teaching not only in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament, which is that God wanted man to remain in his original state, incorruptible, as He created him.
(45) 4 It is noteworthy that Saint Athanasius, instead of the expression “Adam,” uses the expression “human beings,” which is an expression that refers not to one human being alone, but to all human beings, as an emphasis on the unity of the human race.
(46) 1 The Epistle to the Gentiles, Chapter 3-5.
(47) 2 See Against the Gentiles. Chapter 2.
(48) 3 See Against the Gentiles. Chapter 3. On the necessity of thought and mind being pure, see: The Incarnation of the Word. Chapter 57.
(49) 4 Romans 14:5 Saint Athanasius often gives comparisons to the works of God to the works of the king. See Chapter 9.
(50) 5 See Chapter 21/4.
(51) 6 A repetition of what was stated in Chapter 41 of Against the Pagans. Chapter 3 of the Incarnation of the Word.
(52) 7 See Against the Gentiles. Chapter 6.
(53) 8 See Against the Pagans 2/2.
(54) 1 Book of Wisdom 19:6.
(55) 2 See Against the Pagans 2/15.
(56) 3 Psalm 82:6,7 Saint Athanasius explains this verse in the first article against the Arians. Paragraph 9, he says, “As for the other beings to whom He said: I said, ‘You are gods,’ they obtained this grace from the Father only by sharing the Word through the Holy Spirit.”
(57) 1 See the introduction to this chapter in the introduction to Chapter Four.
(58) 2 Book of Wisdom 2:23-24. It is noted that the beginning of the reconciliation prayer in the Basilian Mass is taken from these verses from the Book of Wisdom.
(59) 3 See Against the Gentiles. Chapter 3.
(60) 1 See Against the Gentiles. Chapter 4.
(61) 2 See Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans. Chapter 5. Saint Athanasius returns and mentions in chapters 30, 48, and 52 of The Incarnation of the Word that Christ, through his incarnation, granted healing from all these works.
(62) 3 Epistle to the Romans 1:26-27. See also Against the Gentiles. Chapters 5, 9, 32.
(63) 1 “..in Adam all the offspring of the human race” See the second article Against the Arians. Paragraph 48.
(64) 2 See Chapter 3.
(65) 1 “And she had fellowship in the word”Toà LÒgou aÙtoà metascÒntaSee also Saint Athanasius: Against the Pagans, chapter 46, where the term “communion” appears metoc»n Saint Athanasius often uses this term or verb to share metšcw In describing the relationship between humans and the word. Saint Athanasius means that the grace of creating man in the image of God, and what is expressed here by sharing in the Word, gave man the ability to overcome death and corruption, as was explained before in Chapter 3.
(66) 2 See Chapter 14/1.